Glenn Beck Publisher Claims He's Making Bestseller History: True?

A press release from Glenn Beck's publisher claims he's making history now that the "The Christmas Sweater" has debuted at the number one spot on The New York Times Children's Books bestseller list. Here's the statement from Simon & Schuster:

GLENN BECK'S "THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER: A PICTURE BOOK" DEBUTS AT #1 ON THE NEW YORK TIMES CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK BESTSELLER LIST, GIVING BECK FIVE CONSECUTIVE #1 NYT BESTSELLERS

Debut Makes Beck First Author in History to Have Books Debut at #1 On Four Different NYT Bestseller Lists

THE CHRISTMAS SWEATER: A PICTURE BOOK Is Beck's Third Book on the November 15th NYT bestseller lists

New York, NY (November 9th, 2009) - Glenn Beck's latest book, The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book will debut at #1 on the November 15th New York Times children's picture book bestseller list, giving Glenn five consecutive #1 NYT bestsellers. Beck's publishing house, Simon & Schuster, believes that Beck has become the only author in history to ever have #1 New York Times bestsellers debut on these four different lists: hardcover fiction (The Christmas Sweater), hardcover nonfiction (Arguing with Idiots and An Inconvenient Book), nonfiction paperback (Glenn Beck's Common Sense), and now with The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book, children's picture books.

"Glenn's success in adult fiction, nonfiction, trade paper originals and now, children's books clearly illustrates the broad scope of his talent and appeal, and paves the way for the many exciting projects yet to come under this successful publishing partnership," said Carolyn Reidy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book is Beck's third book on current New York Times bestseller lists. Arguing with Idiots (Threshold Editions), Glenn Beck's most recent bestseller is currently #5 on the hardcover nonfiction list, and is in its 6th consecutive week on the list. Beck's Common Sense (Threshold Editions) is #8 on the NYT paperback nonfiction list and has sold over 1 million copies since its release on June 16th. Common Sense occupied the #1 spot for 15 weeks and has spent 21 straight weeks in the top 10.

The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book (Aladdin) is Beck's first children's book released under his groundbreaking partnership with Simon & Schuster to publish a wide range of fiction, nonfiction, and audiobooks for all age groups.

Now, here are our questions to readers:

First: Is Beck the first to have books debut at the number one spot on The New York Times' four lists: hardcover fiction, hardcover non-fiction, paperback non-fiction and children's?

Second: Should The New York Times create a separate bestseller list for conservative blockbusters? Think of the history: we have a children's bestseller list because of "Harry Potter" -- Harry was knocking adult books off the top spots on the hardcover fiction list so publishers complained. The same thing must be true for Beck, Palin, Cheney, Bush (George W. and Laura), Malkin and others. What do you think?

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Comments

[Oleg1]

I would NEVER buy anything as low brow as Glenn Beck. But I did find the cover of "Arguing..." very funny.
That quasi Nazi uniform, the uber- smirk. It was hilarious.

[TheBloop]

lol, libs complain about bulk orders... Nancy Pelosi couldn't even get THOSE!

Name two people who have actually read any books that were supposedly "written" by Barack Obama... yeah, exactly.

I always knew liberals couldn't read... but apparently they can't write either.

[terentz]

Of course "celebrity conservatives" sell more books. It's easy to sell books when you tell a pre-sold audience exactly what it wants to hear. I am very, very liberal -- and like many liberals, I own hundreds of books. As a rule, we aren't low information, single-source, single-issue voters.

Nonetheless, there are no books by "celebrity liberals", or "celebrities" of any political stripe, in my house. I don't read for validation. Moreover, I demand strong writing and intellectual rigor; consequently, simple-minded sophistry, polemics and re-constituted TV pablum don't make it on to my reading list. As a result, though I own quite a few books by conservatives, I don't own, and will never, any books by Mr. Beck and his ilk. Not because I disagree their views, but because they're dumb books for dumb people.

[8kmeter]

Take a look at the NYT Bestseller list...

Any book that has a (+) after the blurb is a book that has reported bulk orders.

The only top 10 book in Hardcover Nonfiction with reported bulk orders...

You guessed it - Glen Beck's "Arguing With Idiots"

Bulk orders being used to prop up conservative books, that is the scam...

[greendrake]

Wow, this post REALLY brought the cons out of the woodwork!

Look, folks, the reason for the popularity of right wing books, TV, and radio is simple: conservatives are largely incapable of figuring out complex issues for themselves. They need to be told how to think. It's a characteristic of the "conservative" personality to follow authority and be uncomfortable with ambiguity.

Liberals, on the other hand, have little interest in having their views massaged by others, as their positions are generally the product of careful observation and lots and lots of independent thought.

Why would I pay someone to do a job that I can do myself?

[OLJW00]

This is perhaps the absolute dumbest thing I have ever read.

But I have to admit that I like it as it exposes a truth about lefties....if you can't compete you simply change the terms and/or rules.

But then again competing infers actual competition and we know how Liberals view that. Heck, keeping score at a kids soccer game or EARNING a grade is somehow lost on them as well so I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

It's called a marketplace of ideas folks - feel free to compete.

[Darsan54]

Just because we don't have sugar daddies buy our books in bulk, doesn't mean we're against competition. We actually persuade individuals to buy our books and investigate our ideas. As opposed to being told what to believe.

And for a party/philosophy that kept W. in power for eight years, I wouldn't be crowing about academic achievement.

[Political Conservative]

Oh noooooo..... Conservatives are writing best sellers..... HELP!!!! Let's hide it by putting it in another list.....

I notice no one is suggesting a Liberal Book List. That's because only the 8 people who watch MSNBC buy those books.

[iScan]

Well, a lot of people have read Mein Kampf and the Commu/nist Manifesto, but that doesn't mean they are even remotely interested in them like the way he thinks people are interested in his book. It's like observing a wild and dangerous animal, you study it to see what makes it want to be such an a--hole to the rest of the population. And I'm not saying he is a wild and dangerous animal either, he's more like an agressive shr/ew.

[Political Conservative]

Actually, the only ones who had copies of Mao's book, Adolf's book, or Karl's book were liberals, most of whom didn't read. So it's a not a relevant analogy. In nature the rule is survival of the fittest. It's telling that you would think that a wild and dangerous animal that dominates it's environment because of its strength and skill would offend you. Your favorite animal is probably the vulture.

[paultwright]

Real bestsellers? http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9405E1DA163EE233A25751C0A9609C946697D6CF

[paultwright]

Authored by Creator. You really should read it. He wrote it for all of you.

[hillplus]

What do I think?

I think your questions are ridiculous.

[gamoonbat]

These books are bought in bulk by political action committees to distribute at rallies. Their status on the bestseller list does not reflect how much readership they have. Richard Mellon Scaife pioneered this back in the 1990's.

[cleophauna]

"These books are bought in bulk by political action committees to distribute at rallies."
Can you back up that comment? I have been to several rallies and have yet to see any of Beck's books being given away. These books don't have to be given away as an incentive to be read. Creating a separate list won't make the books go away or the people that are reading them. If the leftest ideology is so compelling, why aren't the books espousing this thought on the top of the list?

[gamoonbat]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkC_eU_xjzo

[SueJenkins]

Well, of course, liberal books can't compete on the list as conservative ones.

All the liberal books are FICTION.

[Political Conservative]

LOL

[Darsan54]

At least we didn't pull our commentary out of our a**

[greendrake]

Although I have read the accusation that "conservative" organizations buy right wing books in bulk and then discount them or distribute them for free, I cannot find credible supporting evidence for this claim. I would appreciate a link if a reader knows where to find such documentation.

Personally, I suspect that cons may just feel a much deeper need for direction from authority figures, while liberals prefer to think for themselves.

"Taken as a whole, this evidence suggests that Freud (1959/1991), Fromm (1947,
1964), Adorno et al. (1950), Tomkins (1963),Wilson (1973), and others may have
accurately perceived certain links between personality and political orientation
when they proposed that left-wingers are more motivated by creativity, curiosity,
and diversity of experience, whereas right-wingers are more orderly, parsimonious,
rigid, and more strongly motivated by self-control, norm attainment, and rule
following (see also Block & Block, 2006; Jost et al., 2003a, 2003b)."

http://cariverag.googlepages.com/TheSecretLivesofLiberalsandConservat.pdf

[gamoonbat]

I am not sure what you want for documentation. Go to one of the rallies or book signings. The books are being given away there.

[Kris Roley]

If you want to have a separate list, then fine. A separate list for books about politics, and let both sides compete on that footing.

[taango]

You know, maybe the NYT nonfiction bestseller list is already the conservative bestseller list. Maybe the NYT needs to segregate liberal tomes to a separate list so that people can find them.